Post by L Roebuck on Sept 16, 2005 7:40:14 GMT -5
WHAT LIES BENEATH
Tan Rui
2005-09-16 08:08
While the life of primitive man who lived in caves still remains a mystery to most of us, you probably also have no idea about the activities of modern "cavemen."
Caving seems to be an extreme sport for brave people. They challenge the wilderness and head down deeper beneath the ground for a unique adventure called caving.
Although there are many caves around the outskirts of Beijing, the city still has not seen much in the way of organized caving activities yet. According to Mr Wang with G-view Adventure Equipment (6836-5488), which sells outdoor goods, caving is extremely uncommon among people involved in outdoor activities in Beijing.
"Only few people have bought caving equipment from our store. But they are mainly individual cavers who might go caving in southern provinces with local organizations. It is still quite new in Beijing, anyway," he said.
While apparently a newly introduced outdoor activity that is still in its infancy in China, caving actually has a long history here. It can be dated as far back as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), when caving as a kind of travel was first recorded. Caves for a long time in history have served as shelter to house people and store goods, a source of resources and for scientific exploration and research.
Caving now is often undertaken solely for the thrill of risk or for physical exercise as an extreme sport.
For a caver, the attraction of the activity can be described by the word discovery. No caver is sure of what he or she may come across on their next step through a cave, and the feeling of accomplishment from drawing a map after one's exploration is irresistibly tempting to a caver.
As a science-based exploration activity, caving imposes high requirements on a caver, who needs to have a basic knowledge of geography, geology and training in caving skills, besides having reliable equipment.
Apart from the physical preparation, the mentality of a caver is vital in an underground environment of total darkness and quiet, which can simply be too harsh for some.
Unlike some other outdoor activities, caving requires a team format that strictly forbids solo activity. The minimum safe number for a team is three, who are expected to stay together all the time, because the biggest danger is getting lost in the cave.
As a comparatively new recreational activity in China, sport caving originated in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which has attracted even foreign cavers to its quaint karst caves. The first caving organization was founded in 1984 in Guizhou Province, followed by several other similar clubs over the next few years, mainly based in southern areas.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/16/content_478393.htm
China Daily 09/16/2005
Tan Rui
2005-09-16 08:08
While the life of primitive man who lived in caves still remains a mystery to most of us, you probably also have no idea about the activities of modern "cavemen."
Caving seems to be an extreme sport for brave people. They challenge the wilderness and head down deeper beneath the ground for a unique adventure called caving.
Although there are many caves around the outskirts of Beijing, the city still has not seen much in the way of organized caving activities yet. According to Mr Wang with G-view Adventure Equipment (6836-5488), which sells outdoor goods, caving is extremely uncommon among people involved in outdoor activities in Beijing.
"Only few people have bought caving equipment from our store. But they are mainly individual cavers who might go caving in southern provinces with local organizations. It is still quite new in Beijing, anyway," he said.
While apparently a newly introduced outdoor activity that is still in its infancy in China, caving actually has a long history here. It can be dated as far back as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), when caving as a kind of travel was first recorded. Caves for a long time in history have served as shelter to house people and store goods, a source of resources and for scientific exploration and research.
Caving now is often undertaken solely for the thrill of risk or for physical exercise as an extreme sport.
For a caver, the attraction of the activity can be described by the word discovery. No caver is sure of what he or she may come across on their next step through a cave, and the feeling of accomplishment from drawing a map after one's exploration is irresistibly tempting to a caver.
As a science-based exploration activity, caving imposes high requirements on a caver, who needs to have a basic knowledge of geography, geology and training in caving skills, besides having reliable equipment.
Apart from the physical preparation, the mentality of a caver is vital in an underground environment of total darkness and quiet, which can simply be too harsh for some.
Unlike some other outdoor activities, caving requires a team format that strictly forbids solo activity. The minimum safe number for a team is three, who are expected to stay together all the time, because the biggest danger is getting lost in the cave.
As a comparatively new recreational activity in China, sport caving originated in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which has attracted even foreign cavers to its quaint karst caves. The first caving organization was founded in 1984 in Guizhou Province, followed by several other similar clubs over the next few years, mainly based in southern areas.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/16/content_478393.htm
China Daily 09/16/2005